Whether you call it an urban art form or graffiti tagging–said with disgust–there are places that it looks stupid no matter which side you argue. I offer this post as a simple insight that did not occur to me until I came across this location.

This location is a well used new route from the street level down to the Rosemont Trail along Buffalo Bayou in Houston Texas. If you have not been on the trail and the new Rosemont Pedestrian Bridge and want to go then take Montrose north over Memorial and turn in at the first street. Park on the street, cross to the south side and take the walkway in this photo south toward the Bayou.

The markings would not have been left if the marker could not get his pen to touch the panels. Ok, I know that is obvious, but in this case there is adequate space behind the cabinet that is under the bridge. No one would ever see a tag on the back side and so it would not be tagged. BTW–the other side of the bridge is not accessible so the tag would not be seen. The electrical enclosures could be further back.

The fence could have been located with the panels near the back side of the space. Without the benefit of an exhaustive study of tagger’s average arm length and based on my arm’s length this fence and the panels should be located so the front and side panels are at least four-plus feet away from the fence. I am tall so my arm is longer than most but let’s plan on tall taggers.

I will give credit to the designer as the vertical bars are spaced rather tightly and it would be hard for an average size grown man to reach through. But, the fence is low and easy to climb over. That is likely how these taggers rendered their “art”.

Look for another post here about the large broken concrete that covers the area below the bridge. Very smart.

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This Blog…

This blog is a collection of articles about things I, Tom Davis, or others have built in downtown Houston Texas, what we learned and issues we faced. The hope is you will pick up ideas and tips from that process to allow your urban revitalization to benefit from these experiences.

If you are a Houstonian or visiting be sure to go downtown and experience the best public space in the city. Let me know what you think and any ideas to make it better.

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